6-year-old boy playing tag with friends hit and killed by car in Tokyo

Another child whose life is cut short, another family who will have to suffer a lifetime of grief for the loss of their child, and another apparently innocent individual who will obviously carry this responsibility with him for the rest of his life, with potentially even having charges filed against him even if guilty of nothing but being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

What a tragedy, as always when something like this happens. RIP, little Sho.

stories like these make me want to go home and hug my daughter. life is so unfair at times.

No suggestion that the driver was at fault, but why not introduce speed bumps into residential areas?

They work very well back in England.

@lucabrasi - they work very well in the states, too.

At least it was not a hit and run, which seem to be all too common these days.

The number of times children play on the road, or right at the roadside with absolutely no regard for their surroundings is scary. I know they're kids, but half the time the parents are right there, with just as little regard for the dangers as the kids.

My thoughts are with the driver, poor guy! I hope he isn't charged, or held by police until he looses his job.

"... but why not introduce speed bumps into residential areas?"

For once we are in agreement. The street in front of my house used to be relatively safe to play or walk in, but since becoming gradually widened, vehicles tend to zip along making it dangerous. I'd gladly chip in with the neighbors to get speedbumps added.

Condolences to the parents and to the driver.

Speed bumps are a good idea, but it's impossible to say if they would have made any difference in this case because it doesn't state where it happened. All parks in residential areas have a 20kph speed limit, not that anyone would notice though.

This is a sad case and I hope the details are clear. I would hate to see this driver persecuted for an unavoidable accident. But, on the other hand, I would also hate to see him get off lightly if he is responsible for the child's death.

"I know they are kids, but half the time the parents are right there..."

There is no mention of the parents in the story.

We live across the street from an elementary school in Tokyo. We tried to get speed bumps put in but the city said that too many people complain that they make noise, "bump bump," so they refused and painted useless watch your speed markings on the street instead. :/ This headline could have been my son yesterday. He was riding his razor scooter and fell down 2 seconds before a white van whizzed past, narrowly missing him by 2 feet. I usually put a watering bucket in the street when the kids are playing outside so the cars have to slow down to get round it. I'm buying a traffic cone after today. I sound like a broken record when I train them to look in those mirror at the intersections.

My thoughts are with the driver, poor guy! I hope he isn't charged, or held by police until he looses his job. unfortunately in Japan the padestrian is almost always not at fault, I asked a J police officer once, if I was to commit suicide by jumping out in front of a truck who would be at fault the most, answer: most likely the truck driver!? so while the guy may not go to jail there will most likely be some form of penalty towards him.

Good & bad with speed bumps. Bad: They hinder emergency vehicles. ESPECIALLY ambulances. They can not expedite urgent care in and out of areas with many speed bumps. Good: They do slow down speeders. I'd say a better solutions: Roads are for cars. Parents teach your children well! Take responsibility for a change instead of "letting someone else school your kids."

We tried to get speed bumps put in our neighborhood, but Kobe City wouldn't approve them for a residential area, citing the possibility of bike accidents.

@kiwiboy

The number of times children play on the road, or right at the roadside with absolutely no regard for their surroundings is scary. I know they're kids, but half the time the parents are right there, with just as little regard for the dangers as the kids.

Yes. Very true ! I narrowly missed running over a little boy in Tokyo some years ago. He suddenly ran out in front of my car while the parents just watched him then... SMILED ???

This is tragic, parents need to drill it into their kids' heads that they should NEVER EVER run into a street without looking for traffic!

@sillygirl

Glad to hear it.... : )

I live near a park in a residential area of Kobe and i must say the kids have very poor awareness of everything around them, i ve lost count of the number of times I've warmed kids of a car or taxi flying up behind them. Not saying its the kids fault though, more info needed.

Speed bumps are terrible, the deployment is costly and limited, they cause noise, pollution and annoy drivers. Tokyo has too many narrow streets that are have no pavements and if a road has no pavements I would suggest they are unsuitable for vehicles - narrow streets should be pedestrianized, or make room for pavements.... Physical seperation of car vs pedestrian is a proven safety method.

Frankly though, the answer might already be available - how effective are car automated collision avoidance systems i this scenario? Toyota make this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAeEnLr3WYk

The government should make this mandatory on all new car sales!

However.. my concern on Automated Collision Avoidence is the moral dillema it puts on the programmer of the robot controller - also known as the Trolley Dilemma - which isn't comfortable to discuss.

No suggestion that the driver was at fault, but why not introduce speed bumps into residential areas?

They work very well back in England.

That may be, but a 2,000 lb car is still going to abruptly knock a 65 lb kid to the ground even at 10 mph. Even ignoring the potential impact of the child's head with the vehicle, there's also the impact of the child's head with the road that could have been the fatal blow.

I hope both the parents and the driver find peace. This is a tragic loss for all of those involved.

I once watched a kid run between two parked cars out into the street just as a car was passing by. Thankfully, the car was already moving very slowly. The kid ran into the side of the car, bounced off, fell backwards, and cracked his head on the curb. 100 % unavoidable, I really felt for the driver, who stopped immediately.

Roads are for cars.

@Warren

Based on that comment, I suspect you have never lived in Japan.

Many neighborhood roads here (mine included) are shared by pedestrians and cars, with many 'two-way' streets barely wide enough even for a single car and absolutely no room to add sidewalks*.

Kids from kindergarten age on up walk to and from school on these streets, largely unsupervised, as taxis and other vehicles zip passed just inches away. I find it terrifying, but it doesn't seem to phase the locals.

Many years ago when I suggested that the group of youngsters who my children walked to school with take an alternate and only slightly longer, car-free path to school (walking routes are mapped out and approved by the school), people looked at me like I was from another planet (happens to me a lot).

On these roads, when two cars going opposing directions meet, one of the drivers must concede to go in reverse often for a considerable distance, leading to some epic driver vs. driver showdowns, particularly among the gruff bully types and/or people whose driving skills are inadequate for navigating those roadways (like my wife, for instance).

Speed bumps are a good idea, but it's impossible to say if they would have made any difference in this case because it doesn't state where it happened. All parks in residential areas have a 20kph speed limit, not that anyone would notice though.

If this happened in Tokyo, it could have very well been in front of a condominium or apartment on a main street. We are unclear of the exact location.

In the afternoon, around 4:30, I drive on a small road and know where to slow down as a mother and her son play catch ball in the street in front of their house. She listens for cars and gets out of the way! But, still! It is so dangerous. The shrine park nearby doesn't allow ball throwing!

Another street, I have to remember the older women who swap leftovers after dinner around 8p.m. THey cross the street back and forth to a relative's or neighbor's home with a pot of food!